Who leaked Johns’ comment to media?
Roar Guru By johnhunt92, 15 Jun 2010 johnhunt92 is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Andrew Johns, NRL, NSW Blues, Rugby League, State Of Origin, Timana Tahu
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The State of Origin debacle that is NSW has disgusted me. It’s not because of Andrew Johns’ remarks, it is the way this has embarrassed him and the team.
How in God’s name did Andrew Johns’ remarks about Queensland superstar Greg Inglis make it to the media?
While Timana Tahu’s omission from the squad was not going to go unnoticed, the circumstances surrounding his departure from the squad did not need to become public.
While Johns’ remarks were stupid and racist, the comments were made in a heat of the moment in an attempt to inspire the team to victory. Whatever happened to the idea of what goes on in team meetings stays in team meetings?
I’m pretty confident players would be filthy if their comments in meetings and on the field became known to the media.
So the question that is begging here is who let the cat out of the bag? Which snide piece of work allowed the media to humiliate Andrew Johns for an accidental slip of the tongue?
Most people out in supporter land would immediately point to Tahu as the “rat”.
However, if you have read the papers in the last couple of weeks it could have been anyone. Johns was criticised by faceless players for overtaking Kurt Gidley on the field in State of Origin one. They were upset about him reducing the role of the NSW captain by controlling the shots.
So while many people will say Tahu talked to the Daily Telegraph, I wouldn’t say it with any confidence as there seems to be more rats in the squad.
So who is the real victim here?
Well for starters it is not Timana Tahu, he is the debatably the villain of the piece. While the comments of Johns were wrong, they were not directed at Tahu and his petulance is really disappointing for a high calibre player.
Andrew Johns is also not a victim; his Bogan outdated comments do not have a place in today’s society.
He should have known his audience would not be tolerated by the camp. The real victim I can conclude is the NSW team itself. All confidence from this debacle has been sapped from the squad. Already under the pump, this unfortunate event cannot help team morale which is now divided between the supporters of Johns and his detractors.
One can only wonder whether this spells the end of many NSW State of Origin careers. Only time will tell, but NSW continues to hurt in what is their darkest period in origin history.
- Explore:
- Andrew Johns, NRL, NSW Blues, Rugby League, State Of Origin, Timana Tahu
June 15th 2010 @ 6:01am
Michael C said | June 15th 2010 @ 6:01am | Report comment
John’s comments in the ‘heat of the moment’?? According to Tahu, that is far from the case.
I look at the NRL as yet to have it’s Michael Long/Nicky Winmar moment that the AFL had……..less to do with the code and more to do with…..someone like Tahu to take a stand.
On this one – I’d back Timana Tahu all the way. The game of RL obviously needs an internal shake up so as to not make the indigenous vs all stars game look a bit like a hollow piece of tokenism.
That’s what it LOOKS like to an outsider.
You’re welcome to reject my view – - – it’s simply an observation.
The other observation is that Andrew Johns is tainted,…..and should have been exiled from the game for a couple of years to get his act together. Now, he comes across as a spoilt ‘champion’ who was on drugs and is a hyprocritical 2-faced racist (i.e. he would allow ‘teammates’ to become ‘honourary whites’).
Again – - just what it looks like from outside.
Again – feel free to disagree but please not too vehemently!!
June 15th 2010 @ 6:40am
JVGO said | June 15th 2010 @ 6:40am | Report comment
As it appears from outside MC? Johns and Tahu are long time friends and teammates. I don’t know why it was dealt with in this way but every NRL side has numerous indigenous players. There have been many indigenous captains of the Kangaroos from Meninga and daley to Thurston. It seems Johns had an embarrasing Tommy Raudonikas moment which he has been called out for and for which he will pay the price.
There is nothing tokenistic about indigenous involvement in RL. Indigenous players have long been among the most admired and rewarded figures in the game and part of its integral fabric. Both the captains of the 1987 GF were aboriginal and nearly half the players in that game were indigenous.
RL is a working class non PC not particularly intellectual culture and people are routinely rehabilitated and forgiven for such indiscretions. If you don’t like it you might want to start a vendetta or something.
June 15th 2010 @ 11:25am
apaway said | June 15th 2010 @ 11:25am | Report comment
Agree with your comments, JVGO, but the captain of Manly’s team in the 1987 GF was Paul Vautin.
June 15th 2010 @ 12:52pm
juliek said | June 15th 2010 @ 12:52pm | Report comment
Yes, or switch to AFL where this behavior still exists but will not be tolerated and people like Johns will not be excused for their bigotry.
June 15th 2010 @ 6:56am
punter said | June 15th 2010 @ 6:56am | Report comment
MC, every sport has their bad boys.
June 15th 2010 @ 12:50pm
juliek said | June 15th 2010 @ 12:50pm | Report comment
Yes every sport has their bad boys. Sadly, theres’s a huge difference between the bad boy who Aussies seem to love and the racist bigot that is Andrew Johns. He needs to look into his ancestry. He might get a surprise.
June 15th 2010 @ 8:15am
Mark Young said | June 15th 2010 @ 8:15am | Report comment
Well Michal this is a surprise development but I agree with you wholeheartedly!!
June 15th 2010 @ 8:51am
Paul J said | June 15th 2010 @ 8:51am | Report comment
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/final-whistle-needs-to-blow-for-bad-habits-20100614-yacm.html
June 15th 2010 @ 9:14am
Paul J said | June 15th 2010 @ 9:14am | Report comment
Tahu has done a great and courageous thing. He has shown Johns and the small minority what the majority in the rugby league community already know.
June 15th 2010 @ 10:42am
Shodan said | June 15th 2010 @ 10:42am | Report comment
So John’s makes the AFL grade then Michael?
June 15th 2010 @ 6:06am
jus de couchon said | June 15th 2010 @ 6:06am | Report comment
“Dont kill the messanger”. Andrew Johns got caught .
June 15th 2010 @ 7:44am
Fallen said | June 15th 2010 @ 7:44am | Report comment
Your comment of “the circumstances surrounding his departure from the squad did not need to become public” is one of the problems surrounding racism not only in sport but in the wider community. You are focussing on how the racism was exposed rather than the racism itself. I admire Tahu for his stand, I admire the “rat” for the leak and I’m appalled that the NSWRL and Johns tried to cover this up. Tahu should not have had to leave the team, he raised it with team management and they didn’t address the situation effectively – Johns should have been sacked.
A few years back a member of my wife’s family attended party at our place. Towards the end of the night he was stewing about a conversation friends were having about another culture, then he let fly with a racial diatribe, spewing ill-conceived theories and untruths. Our friends were shocked, my wife horrified. There was uncomfortable silence for a moment before the some of the attendees and I started to challenge him. Some used well constructed arguments, others used ridicule and comedy to expose his ignorance. I’m proud of our little show of defiance – it may not have changed his mind but by the look on his face it was the first time someone had actually stood up against his racism.
Racism is not ok – don’t ignore it, address it.
June 15th 2010 @ 8:03am
bruski said | June 15th 2010 @ 8:03am | Report comment
John’s was a great player but he has proved it is best if he keeps his mouth shut and keeps a low profile.
Everything he is involved in turns to custard, how are nine keeping him on? Surely he must be a liability to them.
This is the problem with the league culture, it is as if some of these guys are living in the 70′s. I am not necessarily talking about the players either.
It is the ex-stars of the game, the media tarts like Johns who are now dragging the game through the mud, no wonder why nine are not sacking him – He fits their profile perfectly, they seem out of step with the current players.
A news flash for these guys, the game is about the players and fans, not the aging boof-heads who play up to the camera week in and week out.
This is proven by a current player saying enough is enough!!
The attitude of who let the cat out of the bag which was described in the column is also a part of the problem. Turning the other cheek is not the solution but part of the problem.
Tahu is definitely not part of the problem and I applaud him for standing up and saying hey, this is not right!!
Also John, how can you be worried about Andrew Johns being embarrassed? Surely he has done this to himself and he deserves more than he has already got. He embarrassed himself and that cannot be blamed on a whistleblower!
June 15th 2010 @ 9:03am
oikee said | June 15th 2010 @ 9:03am | Report comment
Bruski, great post. Your spot=on.
June 15th 2010 @ 8:13am
Brett McKay said | June 15th 2010 @ 8:13am | Report comment
John, I do think you’ve come at the victim/villian thing from the wrong angle, but you do raise a good question – how did it get out??
June 15th 2010 @ 8:16am
Mark Young said | June 15th 2010 @ 8:16am | Report comment
You are right, everyone should have kept their mouth shut so Johns can keep making fun of Aboriginals and Polys.
June 15th 2010 @ 1:35pm
juliek said | June 15th 2010 @ 1:35pm | Report comment
And women
June 16th 2010 @ 12:34pm
mahony said | June 16th 2010 @ 12:34pm | Report comment
and gays!
June 15th 2010 @ 8:46am
Arvind Kumar said | June 15th 2010 @ 8:46am | Report comment
There is no excuse for racism and we must all make a stand on it! Tamanu has shown himself to be a true champion. I have been a life long Knights Supporter from the Henny Penny Chicken days when I first moved to Newcastle from Fiji. I have also supported NSW after watching my Stage of Origin match in 1985. Now I am disgusted by this team and its management for even considering covering up this issue. Tamana has stated that there was more then one such comment. I heard Mark Ella on radio this morning that such racist behaviour was common and acepted in his rugby union days. It should no longer be condoned.
Roar Guru; it is people like you that try and cover up issues leaving such wounds to fester in our society.
June 16th 2010 @ 12:35pm
mahony said | June 16th 2010 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
Good stuff!
June 15th 2010 @ 8:51am
mushi said | June 15th 2010 @ 8:51am | Report comment
“Well for starters it is not Timana Tahu, he is the debatably the villain of the piece. While the comments of Johns were wrong, they were not directed at Tahu and his petulance is really disappointing for a high calibre player.”
That kind of thinking is exactly what conceals racism and subjugates races. It’s okay so long as we don’t tell the darkie that we think he’s sub human to his face.
These guys are professionals and this is a workplace.
Johns would be fired in any reputable workplace in Australia. For a comment to be deemed offensive in the workplace it only needs to be considered offensive to someone. Tahu found it offensive that his ethnic background, and we are now finding out many other ethnic backgrounds, are the subject of derision from a key figure in the NSW camp.
This is more than enough basis for HR to take out the giant stick and metaphorically beat the hell out of the offender.
The NSW camp is not the victim they tolerated and gave tacit encouragement – just like yourself – to this behaviour and were only spurred into action by publicity of one individual having the guts to stand up and sacrifice something dear to him.
June 15th 2010 @ 9:09am
oikee said | June 15th 2010 @ 9:09am | Report comment
I agree with you guys, the last thing on my mind this year was racial conflict, i happen to love the poly lads and indigernous players. They make our game what it is today.
Hopefully we can get 1 or 2 on the commentry panel, we need more than a one sided veiw to these issues, its obvious that we dont know whats going on behind the scenes.
June 15th 2010 @ 1:35pm
Springs said | June 15th 2010 @ 1:35pm | Report comment
Gorden Tallis and Wendell Sailor already are on the commentry panel…
June 15th 2010 @ 3:46pm
oikee said | June 15th 2010 @ 3:46pm | Report comment
Channel 9, the peoples channel i was talking about, at fox we are called upper class fools.
The old school club, channel 9.
After watching Foxtel you realise how backward australia really is, not that this is the issue. Current affairs in australia are a absolute comedy show. Propaganda at its absolute best. People need to move on, get with the times, buy yourself a I-Pod, pad, just for the hell of it.
The last time i watched aussie tele was 5 years ago. Just rugby league now, then back to fox.
June 15th 2010 @ 3:50pm
Springs said | June 15th 2010 @ 3:50pm | Report comment
Wendell Sailor is on Channel 9.
June 15th 2010 @ 9:24am
Theo said | June 15th 2010 @ 9:24am | Report comment
Great point
Racism is ok as long as it in the locker room…